Early education

Young Lives findings across the four study countries has shown that poorer children and those in rural areas have already fallen behind by the age of 5, hindered by a lack of opportunities to learn. Parents and children who require most support are often doubly disadvantaged: by the poverty of their circumstances, and by difficulties in accessing good-quality early childhood programmes. Minority groups are especially at risk because of language and cultural barriers.

Our evidence has shown that pro-poor early childhood interventions are key to prevent the poorest children from falling behind, while a carefully designed curriculum, high-quality teaching and a focus on the whole class may help to deliver more equitable outcomes at school.